APS » PROLA » Phys. Rev. Lett. » Volume 87 » Issue 14

Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 147401 (2001) [4 pages]

Direct Observation of Terahertz Surface Modes in Nanometer-Sized Liquid Water Pools
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Joel E. Boyd, Ari Briskman, and Vicki L. Colvin
Department of Chemistry, Rice University, MS-60, P.O. Box 1892, Houston, Texas 77251

Daniel M. Mittleman *
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University, MS-366, P.O. Box 1892, Houston, Texas 77251

Received 16 April 2001; published 18 September 2001

The far-infrared absorption spectrum of nanometer-sized water pools at the core of AOT micelles exhibits a pronounced resonance which is absent in bulk water. The amplitude and spectral position of this resonance are sensitive to the size of the confined water core. This resonance results from size-dependent modifications in the vibrational density of states, and thus has far-reaching implications for chemical processes which involve water sequestered within small cavities. These data represent the first study of the terahertz dielectric properties of confined liquids.


©2001 The American Physical Society

URL: http://link.aps.org/abstract/PRL/v87/e147401
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.87.147401
PACS: 78.30.Cp, 77.22.-d, 78.66.Vs

* Email address: daniel@rice.edu

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